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Spiritual Dimensions Finding meaning isn’t easy. To do it well, you need spiritual perspective. It’s a soulful thing. Problem is, the spiritual is often lost in life’s minutiae. Technical guys refer to this as the signal-to-noise problem. The noise of daily life can overwhelm...

The Century Rule The search for meaning lies at the heart our life journey. One may err along the way, but we usually deal with it and chalk it up to experience. Hence the saying, “Live and learn.” In the church setting, this is called repentance. Learning is easiest when effects...

Divine Resolutions The best argument for a divine origin of us humans? New Year’s resolutions. Plain and simple. It defies mortal reckoning, the way we annually will ourselves to rise above ourselves. Remember the poetic phrase, “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps?” We...

Christmas Kindness  Are you searching for that true meaning of Christmas? It’s elusive, easily lost in the hustle and bustle. The true spirit can catch you unawares, when least expected. If you all shared an account of your very best Christmas, it would make a great book. A...

First Christmas on Canyon Creek Does your childhood have a place of magical meaning? For me, it was a mountain cabin my grandfather built near tiny Baxter in northern California. My dearest childhood memories trace to that cabin, and the creek that ran below it. Called Canyon...

A Day of Infamy Some dates are especially fraught with meaning—like today, Dec. 7. Forever linked to the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told Congress it would “live in infamy.”  Roosevelt’s prior speeches had been met by Democratic applause and Republican...

Gratitude and Mary Chilton Did you enjoy Thanksgiving? We had such a good time I can’t quite let go, though neighbors are putting up Christmas lights. In part, it reflects respect for the Pilgrims and their underfunded venture that grew into the world’s greatest democracy and...

The Meaning in Hymns I worshipped at Neighborhood Congregational Church recently for the kick-off of their community mosaic mural. Promoted by energetic Pastor Rod Echols, it is titled Coastline to Canyon. I like singing in church, though my ardor far exceeds my talent. The woman...

Family Businesses Among the things that make Laguna unique are our family businesses. We’re not a town of corporate cookie-cutter storefronts; in Laguna, it’s about family ventures. It’s true we have Taco Bell and Jack’s, but those came in a prior generation, before we wised up....

Goodbye Good Ann Ann Richardson, who quietly served our community for over 20 years as a doer and organizer, has moved on. She fought a recurring cancer this past year, there were the usual signs, but she was uncomplaining, continuing the caring service that marked her life. But...

In last week’s column, I promised to tell the story of Laguna’s first official schoolhouse where four churches also got their start. To set the scene, here’s a quick history of pioneer Laguna, beginning in the 1870s when extended family groups began to settle the area. The...

A Tale of Two Churches Attending Laguna’s churches is as enjoyable as a sunset walk on our beaches. I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it until our chapels are so full you can’t find a seat. Last Sunday, I was welcomed at two churches of distinct and unique character:...

Gifts of Children It’s election season in our great democracy, but you do sometimes need a break from posturing and preening politicians. Last week, we told of little Lauren Kimball bringing a congregation to tears with her rendition of Billy Graham’s favorite hymn, “How Great...

Children Bless Also A fascinating study was published the other day. The findings came from Harvard’s “Growing Up Today Study,” following 26,000 children since 1996. (The children were from mothers in the Nurses’ Health Study, started 20 years earlier, so there was prior family...

King’s Mountain Sunday, Oct. 7, is the anniversary of a 1780 Revolutionary War battle you’ve likely never heard of. It’s meaningful because it was crucial to winning the war. Could I share the story, beginning with a bit of history? In the early 1600s, England, weary of Irish...